The PERMA-Lead® Model
describes concrete Positive Leadership leadership behavior, is scientifically based and was developed by Dr. Markus Ebner
The basis for this comes from positive psychology. This branch of psychology researches what makes people happy and what environmental conditions they need to develop their full potential. Over 10 years ago, based on the results of this research, a model was published that is now seen as the standard for potential development: the PERMA model.
Each letter stands for a prerequisite that must be given in order for people to develop their full potential. And every single aspect of it can be influenced and measured. Obviously, there are factors that act like nutrients for human potential development.
PERMA-Lead is a Positive Leadership approach that describes specific behaviors for leadership that positively impacts employees.
The business and organizational psychologist Dr. Markus Ebner has applied these findings to leadership: If these 5 factors have been proven to promote the development of people's potential, successful leadership must be geared toward positively influencing these 5 areas in employees. And so, based on the PERMA model, a Positive Leadership approach, the PERMA Lead Model, was developed.
What does PERMA-Lead mean, in relation to leadership, in concrete terms?
Positive Emotions
Over the past few decades, a large body of scientific evidence has accumulated that positive mood has a powerful effect on people and their performance. Positive emotions broaden perception and have been shown to promote resource building. The P in the PERMA Lead Model therefore stands for leadership behavior that helps employees feel good at work, are satisfied and have fun at work.
Leaders with this competence also succeed in focusing on what works well in difficult situations. They make sure that framework conditions do not frustrate and actively address those employees in the team who are chronically in a bad mood. They take time for small talk, show through small interventions that the well-being of the people in their team is important to them and pass on external praise.
Engagement
In organizations, it is usually the intersection of the individual strengths of employees and those strengths that are helpful for the company that is relevant. Numerous research findings confirm the positive effects that result when people in companies can live out their strengths. Studies show that employees perform measurably better and exhibit positive work-related behaviors, as well as fewer behaviors detrimental to the company, when they are able to use their strengths. The E in the PERMA Lead Model therefore stands for a Positive Leader* who gives his or her employees tasks that correspond to their individual strengths, helps them to build on these and basically supports them in recognizing their abilities.
Managers with this competence provide guidelines within which employees can make their own decisions. They convey that people are allowed to try things out and that mistakes are permissible. They hand over responsibility, which can also lie outside the job description, and assign tasks predominantly on the basis of strengths. They have the special ability to recognize strengths in other people that they themselves are often not even aware of.
Relationships
Being part of a network, feeling part of it and being able to rely on others is an important basis for people to develop their potential. Whether friendships, relationships, business colleagues or family - people need a connection to others in order to become the best version of themselves. Therefore, the R in the PERMA Lead Model stands for a leadership style that emphasizes that employees and team members support each other and treat each other with appreciation. It helps to ensure that everyone feels part of the team.
Leaders with this competence pay attention to regular personal interactions in the team, ensure that employees from different areas get to know each other better, establish a personal and open culture of discussion, attach importance to joint activities and create an open, solution-oriented culture in dealing with conflicts.
Meaning
Doing something that is bigger than ourselves and meaningful - that is a need that people have when they talk about meaning. Experiencing something as meaningful is the basis for getting involved and experiencing deep fulfillment in the process. Meaning causes employees to be committed to their work and to take responsibility for it. The M in the PERMA Lead Model therefore stands for a leadership style that helps employees experience meaning in their work and that they know what their work is important for, and gives people in the company the certainty that they are doing valuable work.
Managers with this competence actively ask questions to ensure that employees can understand what they are doing. They never leave employees in the dark about the reasons behind instructions, and they provide opportunities for design so that people can bring their own values to work.
Accomplishment
To boost the highest potential development, it is necessary for people to perceive what they achieve through their own efforts. The reason for this is that the feeling of successfully influencing situations through one's own competence is of great importance for our motivation. The A in the PERMA Lead Model therefore stands for a manager who is happy with his employees when they have achieved goals, praises them for this and, above all, gives sufficient positive feedback when something has been achieved. This also includes the competence to meticulously analyze successes in order to learn from them how to achieve these accomplishments in the future.
Managers with this competence make visible which goals and subgoals employees have achieved through their commitment, they celebrate successes instead of just moving on to the next project, they define personal growth goals with their team, and they publicly highlight what individual employees have contributed to a success.
Over the past few decades, a large body of scientific evidence has accumulated that positive mood has a powerful effect on people and their performance. Positive emotions broaden perception and have been shown to promote resource building. The P in the PERMA Lead Model therefore stands for leadership behavior that helps employees feel good at work, are satisfied and have fun at work.
Leaders with this competence also succeed in focusing on what works well in difficult situations. They make sure that framework conditions do not frustrate and actively address those employees in the team who are chronically in a bad mood. They take time for small talk, show through small interventions that the well-being of the people in their team is important to them and pass on external praise.
In organizations, it is usually the intersection of the individual strengths of employees and those strengths that are helpful for the company that is relevant. Numerous research findings confirm the positive effects that result when people in companies can live out their strengths. Studies show that employees perform measurably better and exhibit positive work-related behaviors, as well as fewer behaviors detrimental to the company, when they are able to use their strengths. The E in the PERMA Lead Model therefore stands for a Positive Leader* who gives his or her employees tasks that correspond to their individual strengths, helps them to build on these and basically supports them in recognizing their abilities.
Managers with this competence provide guidelines within which employees can make their own decisions. They convey that people are allowed to try things out and that mistakes are permissible. They hand over responsibility, which can also lie outside the job description, and assign tasks predominantly on the basis of strengths. They have the special ability to recognize strengths in other people that they themselves are often not even aware of.
Being part of a network, feeling part of it and being able to rely on others is an important basis for people to develop their potential. Whether friendships, relationships, business colleagues or family - people need a connection to others in order to become the best version of themselves. Therefore, the R in the PERMA Lead Model stands for a leadership style that emphasizes that employees and team members support each other and treat each other with appreciation. It helps to ensure that everyone feels part of the team.
Leaders with this competence pay attention to regular personal interactions in the team, ensure that employees from different areas get to know each other better, establish a personal and open culture of discussion, attach importance to joint activities and create an open, solution-oriented culture in dealing with conflicts.
Doing something that is bigger than ourselves and meaningful - that is a need that people have when they talk about meaning. Experiencing something as meaningful is the basis for getting involved and experiencing deep fulfillment in the process. Meaning causes employees to be committed to their work and to take responsibility for it. The M in the PERMA Lead Model therefore stands for a leadership style that helps employees experience meaning in their work and that they know what their work is important for, and gives people in the company the certainty that they are doing valuable work.
Managers with this competence actively ask questions to ensure that employees can understand what they are doing. They never leave employees in the dark about the reasons behind instructions, and they provide opportunities for design so that people can bring their own values to work.
To boost the highest potential development, it is necessary for people to perceive what they achieve through their own efforts. The reason for this is that the feeling of successfully influencing situations through one's own competence is of great importance for our motivation. The A in the PERMA Lead Model therefore stands for a manager who is happy with his employees when they have achieved goals, praises them for this and, above all, gives sufficient positive feedback when something has been achieved. This also includes the competence to meticulously analyze successes in order to learn from them how to achieve these accomplishments in the future.
Managers with this competence make visible which goals and subgoals employees have achieved through their commitment, they celebrate successes instead of just moving on to the next project, they define personal growth goals with their team, and they publicly highlight what individual employees have contributed to a success.
Together, these five aspects make up the PERMA Lead Model. Numerous companies use this approach to shape and develop their leadership culture. Their success proves them right: This leadership style has many positive effects that have been scientifically proven.
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